Red Ribbon
by MCTVFan
Summary: The Major Crimes squad races to solve a series of disturbing murders before the killer strikes again. Case story with some Shandy on the side and a little BAMF Sharon for good measure.
1. Chapter 1

Thank you for all of your support for my previous stories! This one is a case story with a side of Shandy sprinkled throughout. The team works to solve a series of murders before the killer can claim another victim. It's longer than my others (6 chapters total), and it's my first foray into a case-heavy story. As always, all feedback is welcome.

I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them!

* * *

Chapter One

Early mornings were hard enough, but early mornings at the site of a body dump were even worse. Andy pulled up to the solemn crime scene with a drink carrier full of to-go cups of coffee. It was the good stuff from that expensive coffee shop Sharon liked. He figured if he had to be up this early for something this gruesome, then he would definitely need some strong coffee. He brought a few extras because, prior to the early morning call, he had been in a good mood. Actually, he had been in a _really_ good mood. He and Sharon had a fabulous night out at dinner and a movie and ended up back at her condo. They spent some time together on her couch. Remembering that particular make-out session brought a smile to his face, but it was the simple words spoken between them that had him floating on a cloud the rest of the night. They had finally said those three little words that had haunted them both since his accident more than six months ago. He was sleeping happily at his house when his pain in the ass partner called him about a body in a popular neighborhood park. Since Provenza had also mentioned that he had alerted their captain that her presence would be required, Andy was sure to pick-up her favorite coffee drink and set it aside for her.

As Andy approached the scene, he waited for a patrol officer to lift the yellow crime scene tape so he could duck under it. He gave the young officer a nod in thanks and continued down the wooded path. The sun was just coming up over the hills to the east illuminating the scene, so Andy could detect a rather large police presence up ahead. He inwardly cringed when he saw Taylor and looked around until he spotted the media off to the left behind the tape.

"Ah, Flynn, how nice of you to finally join us," Provenza greeted him. "At least you brought coffee," he added grabbing one of the cups out of the drink carrier.

"Sharon here yet?" He asked his partner.

"No, the _Captain_ is not here, but Taylor and his media fan club are," he said annoyed.

"Which explains your lovely mood," Andy retorted. Provenza scoffed and continued walking towards the body. As they got closer, Andy spotted Sharon entering from the other side. She walked carefully attempting not to muddy her expensive heels. She had a look of slight disgust on her face, and Andy knew it had nothing to do with the gruesome scene. Despite it, she was beautiful, and Andy found it hard to focus on anything else. Even with her awkward walk, she was a sight to behold in her heels and skirt that was perfectly paired with her blouse and jacket.

"Good morning, Lieutenants," she greeted them as she approached the scene. "For the record, I made you incident commander so I could avoid trekking through mud at the crack of dawn," she said with a purse of her lips.

"Believe me, Captain, it was not my idea to call you down here," Provenza answered looking in Taylor's direction. "Apparently, the media is having a field day with the location of the body, and Taylor is starting to sweat the 'high profile' nature of the murder," Provenza explained. She approached the body and filed in next to Andy. He silently handed her the cup of coffee he was saving for her. She thanked him before taking a sip and savoring it.

"Ok, so what do we have?" She asked glancing at the body in front of her. Kendall was on scene kneeling down doing his preliminary evaluation. Sharon was drawn to the disturbing sight before her. The young woman's body was partially clothed and lying in an unnatural position like she had been posed, but the thing that caught her attention was the red ribbon tied into a perfect bow around the victim's neck.

"Early morning jogger found the body and called it in. Apparently, he tripped over our victim's arm which was lying across the path here," Provenza explained indicating the jogging path next to the body.

"So the killer wanted her found as soon as possible," Andy stated.

"But she wasn't killed here?" Sharon asked.

"No, there's no sign of trauma here or the greater area around the body," Kendall interjected. "Plus, I'd say she's been dead at least 12 hours," he continued.

"Which means she was killed while the park was still open last night," Sharon concluded.

"Tao and Sykes are still sweeping the neighborhood, but there's no indication that anyone saw or heard anything last night. And this park is very popular, Captain, especially at that time of night. People get home from work and come over to run and let their kids play on the playground right through there," Provenza explained indicating the brightly colored structure at the end of the path.

"So, he killed her somewhere else and dumped her body here overnight," Sharon stated. "Cause of death?"

"I'd say asphyxiation, but Dr. Morales will be able to tell you more," Kendall said. "Oh, and it looks like she was raped," he added. Sharon closed her eyes and nodded. She turned and walked away from the body. Provenza and Andy followed.

"I'm going to check in with Chief Taylor. Andy, follow the body to the morgue and I'll meet you there, please. Lieutenant, if you could make sure we canvass the entire neighborhood. Hopefully, someone saw something. Keep me updated," she said before turning in the direction of her superior officer.

* * *

After talking to Taylor and listening to him drone on and on about the media scrutiny surrounding the case and the affluence of the neighborhood where the body was found, Sharon finally made her way to the morgue. She quickly draped the blue gown over her suit and entered the room. Both Dr. Morales and Andy turned in her direction.

"Captain, glad you could join us. I was just about to get to the worst part, and that's saying something," Morales greeted her. She nodded for him to continue. "Kendall was right about the cause of death and the rape, but I'm finding signs that she was raped more than once," he added.

"More than once, as in, by the same attacker?" Sharon asked.

"More than likely. She was raped repeatedly over what had to be several days," he explained. Sharon and Andy looked at each other.

"So this sick bastard kidnapped her, raped her, and then murdered her?" Andy asked with anger simmering just below the surface.

"Looks that way, but there's more. See the red ribbon," Morales said indicating the perfect bow around her neck. "The killer used it to strangle her and then tied it into that bow. The ligature marks match perfectly," He continued.

"Son of a bitch. What kind of psycho are we dealing with here?" Andy asked almost afraid of the answer.

"The kind who does this to more than one woman," Morales answered stepping away from the body and moving over to his computer. "The MO was creepy enough that I took a chance and did a little search. This is the first victim to come through our morgue, but there are three open cases with matching MOs. One in Santa Barbara and two in San Diego," he explained. Sharon's eyes widened and her face tensed.

"So, you're saying we have a serial rapist-slash-killer on our hands?" She asked.

"It looks that way," Morales said sadly.

"And he takes his victims and holds them for days while he rapes them over and over before finally murdering them and dumping their bodies. Great!" Andy said annoyed as they exited the exam room.

"Which means that he could be choosing his next victim right now. We need to get the case files from Santa Barbara and San Diego. Damn it! We're already behind," Sharon said irritated as she forcefully removed her blue gown and started towards the elevator. Andy just shook his head equally irritated. Things were going to get worse before they got better. Andy could just feel it in his gut. Why did the serial murdering dirtbag have to pick Los Angeles, he wondered as he hurriedly walked towards the elevator with his captain leading the way.

* * *

Somewhere in a dark room a single voice can be heard coming from the solo source of light. A small television illuminates the room and a man sits in front of it glued to the news report playing on the screen.

 _Police aren't saying much about this morning's grisly discovery in a popular neighborhood park. Assistant Chief Russell Taylor would only confirm that a body had been found. The victim's identity and cause of death were not released pending notification of next of kin, but neighbors in this wealthy subdivision are certainly on edge today.._

The man in the chair wasn't very interested in the report. In fact, he had tuned out what the bubbly news reporter had just said. His focus was singular. It was on the auburn haired woman in the background of the shot. The one standing next to the body he had dumped hours earlier. The one holding the coffee cup and speaking with the two older gentleman. She was beautiful. She was exquisite. She was exactly what he wanted, and he would have her. After all, he always got what he wanted.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, etc. the first chapter! There was some concern expressed about future chapters containing a possible rape scene, I can assure everyone that this story does not contain any rape scenes or descriptions of rape. Here's the next chapter! As always, I welcome any feedback.

I do not own Major Crimes or any of fabulous characters.

* * *

Chapter Two

Once the team had finished canvassing the neighborhood, they met Sharon and Andy back at the murder room. The search had turned up nothing, suggesting that the killer had indeed dumped the body after the park had closed. Sharon had the team pour over the case files from Santa Barbara and San Diego. A murder board had been set up with their newly identified victim's DMV photo in the center. After Tao pinned it up, he turned towards the rest of the squad.

"Amy Martin. Age 25. Reported missing five days ago by her boyfriend. She lived in Hollywood, and so far, no connection to the other victims or the neighborhood where she was found," he explained.

"Yeah, but there's no connection between any of them, Ma'am" Julio added.

"Including their descriptions," Provenza said annoyed. "These four women are different ages, different physical attributes, different jobs, and on and on," he added annoyed. Andy studied the four DMV photos posted on the murder board.

"They're all attractive," he said evenly.

"Yeah, but beauty is subjective," Sharon offered dismissing the connection and giving Andy a knowing look.

"True, but Andy is right," Tao stated. "These women all display traditional beauty characteristics. Wide spaced eyes, longer hair, full lips..." He continued before Provenza cut him off.

"We get it. They're attractive," he said annoyed. "So what, we go around Los Angeles warning pretty women there's a psycho on the loose and they're his type?" He joked. Sharon let a small smile sneak through.

"The Lieutenant is right. The fact that they're attractive doesn't help us narrow anything down. What about the suspects in the other cases?" Sharon tried.

"No real suspects in either of the San Diego cases, but they did focus on the first victim's husband," Sykes explained.

"That's because it's always the husband," Provenza interrupted.

"Yeah, except when a second body turns up with the same MO and no relation to the first," Sykes replied. "At that point they stopped looking at the husband," she said scanning the second victim's file notes.

"Ok, our first victim was killed six months ago in Santa Barbara. The second one four months ago in San Diego. The third woman one month ago and now our victim last night. There isn't even a pattern to when he kills them. Serial killers are usually methodical. What are we missing," Sharon pointed out.

"An X factor," Mike said. "Either information we don't have or something having to do with how he chooses his victims," he concluded.

"Either way, he could be escalating, Ma'am," Julio stated.

"What about the Santa Barbara case?" Sharon asked Amy.

"No suspects at all. The case went cold real fast. They spoke to some witnesses at the coffee shop where she was last seen, but got nothing but dead ends," she explained.

"Amy, keep reading through those statements. Maybe you'll catch something Santa Barbara didn't. Where are we with the surveillance footage from the neighbors, Mike?" Sharon inquired.

"Buzz is sorting through it now. There were three homes with cameras near the park, so hopefully one of those cameras caught something," he explained. As if on cue, Buzz entered the room and moved quickly over to an open computer.

"Captain, there's something you should see," he said before pulling up some dark footage on the computer screen. Sharon walked over to the desk and leaned forward to view the video.

"Go ahead, Buzz," she said. The video played and a man suddenly walked into view carrying something large over his shoulder. The video is dark and the view of the man is from behind. The man disappears into the park.

"That's our killer," Andy said.

"Did any of the other cameras capture this?" Sharon asked.

"No, the other houses are on a different side of the park," Buzz explained.

"Unless our killer lives in the neighborhood, he had to have driven the body there. So where is his car?" Sharon wondered. Mike stood up and walked over to the murder board and started gesturing at the map of the park pinned on it.

"My guess? Just out of frame. The parking lot is right here and our suspect comes into frame right about here," Mike explained showing just how close the two points are on the map.

"So, this guy is the luckiest killer ever!" Provenza exclaimed.

"Captain, I think I found a link between the victims," Amy called out. "They all frequented coffee shops," she explained.

"Great, so now we need to warn pretty women who like to drink coffee!" Provenza announced annoyed.

"What about Amy Martin? Did she have a favorite coffee shop?" Sharon asked ignoring Provenza'a sarcasm.

"Her boyfriend is on his way up now, Ma'am," Julio said. "Hopefully, he can fill in those details," he concluded.

"Ok, let's talk to him and anyone else who can help us identify this guy before he kills again," Sharon said before heading to her office. Once she was seated, she picked up her phone and started dialing. She wanted to speak directly with the investigators on the other cases.

* * *

By the end of the day, the team wasn't much closer to solving the case. Sharon's calls to the other jurisdictions provided a small glimmer of hope. One of the detectives remembered a witness that stuck out after the first murder. He had been very helpful, but the detective just didn't get a good vibe from him. Nothing concrete, but he promised to search through his notes and send Sharon what he found. He had forgotten about the guy once the second body surfaced.

Julio and Provenza had interviewed the latest victim's boyfriend, but they didn't learn too much. Apparently, they hadn't been together long. He did provide them with the name of Amy's favorite coffee shop. The team spent the rest of the day tracking down other regulars at the coffee place to see if anyone remembered her and who she may have interacted with during her morning coffee stop. Some seemed to recognize her picture while others did not. No one knew her well.

In addition to the red ribbon, the cases had other elements that connected them together. All four victims had been found in parks in "nice" areas, and their bodies were dumped just off the path. All had been captured and held and repeatedly raped before being strangled and dumped. Mike worked on tracking down the ribbon, but it was a common type found at most arts and crafts stores.

Sharon decided to call it a night when the team grew more and more frustrated by the string of dead ends. They had a few more witnesses from the coffee shop to talk to, but that would have to wait until the busy morning rush at the coffee shop anyway. She and Andy walked to their cars in silence. It had been a long, tough day and the frustration was palpable. Andy had been floating on a cloud only 24 hours ago, and now, he was feeling depressed and down.

"You want to grab some dinner?" He asked breaking the silence. They were approaching their cars, and he was hoping to end the night on a better note.

"I suppose we should eat something. But I can't stomach the idea of going to a restaurant," she said tiredly.

"Takeout?" He offered. She nodded her head in agreement. "Why don't you head home and relax and I'll pick something up and bring it over?" He suggested. She seemed to perk up at the idea.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Andy," she said opening her car door. "I'll see you in a bit," she added before stepping into her car. Andy wanted to say something else. He wanted to repeat those three words they had shared only the night before, but he wasn't sure how she would receive them right now. So, he got into his own car and drove off toward their favorite takeout place.

* * *

As Sharon drove to her condo building, she was too distracted and too tired to notice the small car following her. It matched her turns, changed lanes in sync, and stopped just outside her parking garage until her sedan was safely closed inside. Once the driver got the information he needed, he pulled back into traffic and drove off with all intentions of returning later that night so he could follow her when she left the next day.

Thirty minutes after Sharon got home, she heard a knock on her door. She was just finishing her bath, so she stepped out of the tub, quickly dried off as best she could, and threw on her satin robe. Her hair was pulled up to protect it from the water. In her hurry to get to the door, she failed to fully consider her attire. When she opened it and saw the look on Andy's face, she knew that the robe was a bit more see-through than she was normally comfortable with. She instinctively pulled it tighter around herself and moved out of the way so Andy could bring the food into the condo.

Andy was speechless. Sharon had just answered her door in a somewhat see-through satin robe, and his brain wasn't quite functioning yet. Was she trying to kill him? He decided it would be best for his libido if he took the food into the kitchen away from Sharon.

"If you don't mind getting some plates out, I'm just going to go put on some clothes," she called to him from the living room.

"Yeah, no problem. Take your time," he assured her. She disappeared down the hall, but Andy couldn't get the image of her in that robe out of his head. The way the delicate fabric clung to her body, the water droplets running down her chest and disappearing into her cleavage, and the parts of her body that he could see outlined through the robe drove him crazy. He made a promise to himself that one day he would make her wear it again, and when she did, he would pull that loose tie and let the robe fall open. The thought brought a smile to his face and a jolt of electricity to his body.

When Sharon returned a few minutes later, Andy had the food on the table and two place settings ready. She had taken her hair out of the elastic and let it fall naturally over her shoulders. It was a little wavy from the humidity of her bath. She was dressed simply in a white tank top, leggings, and an oversized cardigan. Andy thought she was breathtaking.

They made easy small talk throughout the meal and cleaned up together after they were finished. Rusty was due home soon, so they decided to look over some case notes. They settled together on the couch and began going over the Martin case along with the previous murders.

"I think Amy is onto something. Our killer finds these women at coffee shops. They're places of habit for people. Some place where he knows he can hang out and people watch without drawing suspicion. When he finds a woman he's drawn to, he stalks her, learns her other habits and routine..." she trailed off a bit frustrated.

Andy noticed that Sharon was tense. Hell, he was tense. But he decided that she could use a little stress relief.

"Turn around," he said quietly. Sharon gave him a confused look. "With your back to me," he clarified. She seemed unsure, but she eventually did as he asked. Once she was sitting with her back completely facing Andy, he pushed her sweater partially down her arms and gently placed his hands on her shoulders and started to massage them. She tensed at first, but after a few moments, she began to relax.

"I know this case is bothering you," he whispered. "It's bothering all of us. But we're going to solve it, and we're going to make sure the bastard responsible pays," he said reassuring her. She sighed.

"You don't know that, Andy. Two other police departments have failed," she said while allowing her eyes to slip closed. Andy was _really_ good at this. She could actually feel herself relaxing into his touch.

"Yeah, but they don't have you," he whispered into her neck. He had pulled her hair off of her shoulder and she could feel his hot breath on her skin as he spoke. She scoffed at his words. "I'm not flattering you, Sharon. I'm serious. No one thinks like you. You see connections that the rest of us don't. Plus, we've got Mike who, when he isn't focusing on that stupid TV show, is the best there is with all that tech stuff. Not to mention Julio, Sykes, Buzz, and even Provenza," he explained. She let out a small hmmm, but Andy wasn't sure if she was agreeing with him or enjoying his ministrations. He began lightly kissing her exposed skin.

"And you," she said quietly.

"Huh?" He said lost in the feel and taste of her soft skin as he kissed it and allowed his tongue to softly run along the sensitive area behind her neck.

"We have you, Andy. And you never give up," she said sincerely. She could feel him grin against her skin.

"You sure that's a good thing?" He asked with a smile. He softly blew air across the skin he had just been kissing and running his tongue over. He watched her shiver slightly. He went back to kissing her and trailed his lips up to her neck.

"Yes, it's a _very_ good thing," she answered a bit breathlessly. The sound of her voice was doing things to him. Things he could not control. He continued to lick and kiss his way up her neck while he gently massaged her shoulders. The combination was too good, and Sharon couldn't help the moan that escaped. Andy tugged her towards him, and she turned in his arms willingly. Their lips met and hungrily sought a deeper connection. They allowed their tongues to tangle and took turns exploring each other's mouths. They continued like this until they heard a key in the lock. They pulled away before Rusty walked in and found them making out like teenagers.

As Rusty entered the condo, he noticed Andy's jacket hanging by the door. He instantly tensed up when he heard their soft giggles. He carefully walked towards the living room, but immediately relaxed when he saw his mother and her boyfriend sitting on the couch together looking over notes. Old people, he thought, (thankfully) so boring!

"Rusty, did you eat?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah..." He nodded while glancing at the pieces of paper strewn around the two people occupying the couch. "Gus and I grabbed some burgers after the park," he said nonchalantly. "What is all that?"

"Case we're working on. Some sicko is murdering women and tying bows around their necks," Andy explained.

"Right... So on that note, I'm going to head to bed. Good luck with that," he said before disappearing down the hallway.

"Goodnight," Sharon called behind him.

"I should probably get going, too," Andy said with a yawn. "But, hey, you ever want to run case notes like this again, I'm always available," he said a bit suggestively. Sharon caught his meaning and gave him a flirty look.

"Yes, but I'm not so sure how much actually gets accomplished," she said with a smile. The pair started walking towards the door. Andy stopped to put his jacket on.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I think we got quite a bit _accomplished_ ," he flirted back. She leaned up and kissed him tenderly.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"I love you," he whispered in return. She smiled brightly.

"I love you, too, Andy," she said sweetly. He smiled and turned and exited her condo. And if his step was a little lighter and his mood a bit happier, well, he wasn't going to complain.

As Andy walked out of the front door of Sharon's building and started towards his car in the visitor's lot, he was walking on a cloud and didn't see the car parked off to the side. The driver saw him, though, and recognized him instantly. What was one of the men from the crime scene doing coming out of the woman's condo building? And why was he here so late? A violent pang of jealousy ran through the man's body. It seemed he would have to compete for the beautiful woman's affections. One thing was for sure, he didn't lose and he wasn't planning on starting now.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to everyone for your continued support for this story! Here's the next chapter.

As always, I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters.

* * *

Chapter Three

The next day, the squad continued to interview regulars from the coffee shop Amy Martin frequented. Things were moving at a snail's pace, and the lack of forward progress had frustrations high and Taylor breathing down their necks. Sharon was still waiting to receive the personal notes from the detective in San Diego, although, she wasn't sure what good the information would do since there had been two murders since.

By late afternoon, the team was scattered with some members staying behind to continue to research the previous cases. The murder room was quiet when a handsome middle aged man entered. He looked around with purpose and finally settled on Sykes.

"Excuse me," the man began. Amy looked up.

"Can I help you?" She inquired. The man stepped closer to her desk.

"Well, actually, I was hoping I could help you," he said with a smile. Great, Amy thought, a charmer. "I'm here about the woman from the coffee shop. One of the employees told me you were looking to speak to the regulars," he explained. Amy stood up, introduced herself, and directed the man into an interview room. She sent a silent signal to Buzz and he headed into electronics. Once everything was set and Tao had joined Buzz, she jumped right in.

"So, Mr...," she tried hoping to gain the man's identity.

"Bishop. Kevin Bishop," the man helpfully provided.

"Mr. Bishop. You're a regular at Grady's Grounds?" She asked.

"Every morning. Can't start my day without one of their specialty coffees. You really should try them. They're amazing. Life changing, even," he added enthusiastically.  
Amy just smiled.

"Did you know Amy Martin?" She asked pulling the victim's DMV photo out of a folder in front of her.

"Well, I'm not sure I knew her. I mean how well does someone really know someone they stand in line with at a coffee shop," he said with an amusing tone.

"But you do recognize her?" Amy tried.

"Of course. She was always there, well, until recently," he recalled sadly. "She was very nice. I saw her give up her seat once for a pregnant woman. It's a real shame about what happened," he explained. Amy heard Mike in her ear letting her know Kevin Bishop did not have a record.

"Did you ever see her talking with anyone?" Amy inquired.

"You mean more than a polite word or two? No. She, like everyone else in the morning, was busy on her laptop. And she was always alone. Like me, she was a fan of the specialty coffees," he said. Amy was beginning to wonder why this man seemed to know so much about someone he claimed not to know.

"You ever talk to her?" She asked and she saw something dark cross the seemingly kind man's face.

"No, never," he answered simply.

"It's just... You seem to know an awful lot about her habits at the coffee shop. You pay this much attention to everyone in there?" Amy asked pointedly. He seemed slightly aggravated.

"She was... Quite pretty. Beautiful, even. Men tend to notice women like that. We've even been known to let our eyes linger a little longer than they should. Is that a crime, Detective?" He asked a bit annoyed and allowed his eyes to purposely rake over her. She smiled.

"Nope, not a crime. Anything else you can tell us about Amy or any of the others in the coffee shop?" She knew when to stop pushing, and something told her she had reached that point with this interview.

"Nothing I can think of at this time, but I'll tell you what," he began before grabbing the folder in front of Amy and the pen beside it and writing down information. "Here is my contact info just in case you have any more questions for me, Detective," he said. "And I'll be sure to let you know if I think of anything else," he concluded before getting up and walking out of the room. As he crossed back through the murder room towards the exit, his eyes landed on Sharon as she leaned on a desk talking to a recently returned Julio. She felt the weight of his stare on her and lifted her head. Their eyes met, and Sharon felt a sudden chill run through her. After Bishop had turned and exited, she turned to Amy.

"Who was that?" She asked.

"Kevin Bishop. One of the regulars at the coffee shop. He didn't have anything helpful to add, but he did seem to pay special attention to our victim," Amy answered.

"Did we run his name?" Sharon asked turning towards Mike who had just exited electronics.

"Yeah, no record," Mike explained.

"Amy, why don't you and Julio take Mr. Bishop's photo down to the coffee shop. See what they have to say about him," she instructed.

"You think he's our guy?" Amy asked confused.

"I think it's worth looking into him a little further," Sharon answered simply. Amy didn't look convinced, but the guy had given her an uneasy feeling that she couldn't quite shake. She and Julio headed out of the murder room with Kevin Bishop's DMV photo in hand.

* * *

When the two detectives returned a little later, the rest of the squad was busy at their desks. Sharon saw them enter, and left her office to join them in the murder room.

"Anything on Mr. Bishop?" she inquired.

"Well, it might not be anything, ma'am, or it might be something, but Mr. Bishop is a very recent regular," Julio explained.

"Also, we talked to a couple of the employees, and they said they saw Bishop speaking with our victim several times," Amy added.

"So, he lied. But why?" Sharon asked.

"Maybe he thought the truth would make him seem like a suspect," Andy offered.

"Then why voluntarily come by in the first place," Sharon wondered.

"That's the other thing... The employees never told Bishop or anyone else that we were looking to speak to them," Amy added.

"Another lie. What else is this guy lying about?" Sharon asked.

"He gave me his contact info, so why don't we ask him," Amy said.

"This time, I want to read him his rights, but very carefully. I don't want him knowing he's on our radar," Sharon explained.

The phone number Kevin Bishop provided went straight to voicemail, and it was one of those generic types that could belong to anyone. Amy left a message, but no one was holding their breath for a return call. As the afternoon turned into night, the team ordered takeout and ate it together in the murder room. After working through another series of dead ends and failing to receive a callback from their "witness", the hour got very late and they went home to get a few hours rest before starting fresh in the morning. Unbeknownst to Sharon, she was once again followed home that night. Her mind was distracted by details (or lack there of) of the case and her shadow was being much more discreet. Once he saw that she was home - alone - he drove off into the darkness.

* * *

A few days passed without any promising leads or a callback from Mr. Bishop. Taylor was on the verge of exploding and the team was feeling the weight of the case. They had all filed in for the morning to once again chase down anything they could find when Sharon finally received some promising news. The detective from San Diego had found his notes on that helpful witness. He emailed a scanned copy to her, and she began pouring over them. As she read the detective's meticulous notes, she couldn't help the feeling that there was something familiar about this so-called "helpful witness". He had come into the police station on his own, offered a tiny bit of information, charmed one of the female officers, and left contact info. The man's name didn't match their own "helpful witness", but Sharon knew that didn't cancel out a connection.

Just as she was beginning to tie things together in her mind, Provenza came rushing into her office in a fury. His sudden interruption into her thoughts startled her, and she took a moment to register his presence.

"Captain, we have another body. Red ribbon and all".

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all for your support for this story! Here's the next chapter. As always, I welcome your feedback.

I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters.

* * *

Chapter Four

A man sat alone inside his sedan and watched as police officers and detectives came and went at the hectic scene. He enjoyed the juxtaposition of the hustle and bustle of activity with the serene park housing manicured walking paths and pristine water features. He had chosen wisely this time. This park was just as nice as the others, but it had an upscale shopping center located just across the street. This allowed him to park in the crowded parking lot and watch the scene undetected.

The man liked upscale parks because they were always well maintained and overflowing with flowers. The scene was a nice contrast to the dead body he liked to leave behind. He wanted his victims to be in a place of beauty that rivaled their own. And he wanted to leave his own contribution to the park behind. Where others saw sadness and gloom in death, the man had always seen beauty. He wasn't fond of the bruising left behind by strangling his victims which was why he was always sure to tie the ribbon into a perfect, beautiful bow to cover up the marks.

As he watched the scene unfold, he kept his eyes trained on the people busying themselves with the work of the dead. He was looking for someone in particular, but so far, she hadn't arrived. He noticed the two older men from her division get out of their car and walk towards the scene. He felt a small glimmer of hope that he would see her soon. But as more cars pulled up and emptied, he began to realize that she would not be making an appearance at this crime scene. He was very disappointed. In fact, he had taken special care with this victim just for her. He wanted her to see the beauty he saw. He wondered if maybe she did since she worked in death for a living. He hoped that she would get to enjoy the gift of beauty he had left for her. Since she wasn't there, he watched the man from the other night instead. Whereas the beautiful captain brought him joy and desire, the man from the other night only filled him with anger and a completely different desire.

* * *

While her squad was out at the crime scene, Sharon spent a large amount of time on the phone with the detective from San Diego. He provided a description of his "helpful witness" and it sounded an awful lot like their Kevin Bishop. Then she spoke to the detectives in Santa Barbara, and as it turned out, they had a witness matching the description as well. Things were beginning to come together in her mind.

While she continued to wait for her team to return, she took a moment to look over the murder board. Was it possible this guy just decided to start raping and murdering women six months ago? If so, why? And if he was so meticulous about the details about the bodies (where he left them, the condition they were in, the bow, etc.), then why was his timing so random? Mike had reported that the ribbon contained no fingerprints, so he used gloves, and Morales found no DNA with the rape kit, so he used condoms. But he brazenly walked into police departments and presented himself as a witness in multiple cases. Was he really that sure of himself?

Once her team returned, they quickly brought her up to speed on the latest victim.

"The scene was almost identical down to the arm across the walking trail. And according to Kendall, she was killed some time last night and probably dumped overnight," Mike explained.

" _Almost_ identical?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, there was one thing different and it's weird," Andy said walking over to Buzz's computer where the younger man was bringing up the crime scene footage. He fast forwarded until he got to the part Andy was referring to. He paused it on a shot of the body.

"Flowers?" Sharon asked confused. There in the middle aged female victim's right hand was a bouquet of fresh flowers.

"And they were all picked from the park," Andy filled her in. "The little psycho pulled them off of nearby bushes and plants and then put them in her hand. Freak thinks he's some kind of artist," he said annoyed. Sharon stared at the screen.

"I checked just to be sure, Captain, but none of his other victims had flowers," Amy stated. Sharon nodded still searching the screen for answers.

"Did we check to see if there were any other cases matching this MO in other states?" She asked to no one in particular.

"Since we had pretty much nothing, I started to run that search before we got rolled out on this latest victim. I'll restart it now," Mike said.

"And still no word from Mr. Bishop?" She asked the group.

"Nothing, Captain, and the people at the coffee shop haven't seen him in a couple days either," Amy replied.

"Ma'am, I have an ID on our latest victim," Julio interrupted. He got up from his desk, grabbed a photo off the printer while dropping some change in Provenza'a jar at the same time and walked up to the murder board. "Cynthia Newman. 48 years old. Reported missing two days ago by her son," he stated while pinning her photo on the board.

"Two days ago? He took her right after he dumped Amy Martin," Provenza exclaimed. And the entire squad knew what this meant: They had very little time to stop him before he took someone else.

"Son of a bitch," Andy said shaking his head.

"We need to find out if Cynthia Newman liked to get her coffee at Grady's Grounds," Sharon said urgently.

"On it, Captain," Amy said.

"Uh-oh. Oh, no. This is _not_ good," Mike said suddenly. Sharon moved over to his desk and leaned over his shoulder. "There are several cases matching our MO from several different states spanning... about a decade," Mike said and a silence fell over the room.

"So, he's been very busy," Sharon said shaking her head. "We need case notes and anything else we can get our hands on from these cases. My God, what have we stumbled onto?" Sharon wondered aloud. Andy could see the stress and tension on her face. He watched as she retreated to her office and sunk into her chair. He looked around before getting up and following her. He knocked lightly and entered closing the door behind him.

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

"I will be as soon as we catch this sick..." She said stumbling over the right word choice.

"Bastard? Shit head? Dirtbag?" Andy offered with a smile.

"All of the above," she replied. She paused a moment. "Cynthia's death is our fault," she said in a moment of insecurity. Andy walked towards her desk and made his way around to her side. He leaned his backside on it and covered her hand with his own.

"Hey," he said softly making her meet his gaze. "You can't think that way. If you do, then you gotta say that it's Santa Barbara and San Diego's fault, too. And hell, it's the fault of every police department in those other states, too," he explained. She looked at him appreciatively and gave him a sad smile.

"I know. I just feel like I'm missing something," she said. "I know this Kevin Bishop, or whatever his real name is, is either our guy or complacent in it. We have to find him," she said frustrated. Andy massaged her right shoulder. He glanced out of her office window into the murder room.

"Or maybe he finds us again," Andy said and Sharon looked up. She followed his eyes and saw the man she was just talking about standing in the murder room. Incredibly sure of himself indeed, she thought.

* * *

Kevin Bishop sat in the interview room alone while Sharon, Andy, Buzz, Mike, and Provenza watched his every move on the computer monitor from electronics.

"Is this guy for real?" Provenza wondered aloud. "He's our prime suspect and he just decides to come to us?"

"He said he got Amy's message about answering a few more questions," Mike said with a shrug.

"He's cocky and he thinks we're too stupid to figure it out," Andy said, anger written on his face.

"Well, then, let's go show him how _stupid_ we are. Andy," Sharon said confidently before she and Andy walked out of electronics and headed towards Interview One. Amy had gently read him his rights when she put him in the interview room saying it was just a precaution because of the high profile nature of the case.

Kevin looked around the room studying the environment. He had been stuck in this plain room for, what felt like, forever with nothing more than a glass of water. He made a mental note about never trying to be helpful again. Suddenly the door opened, and two people he hadn't met walked into the room.

"Mr. Bishop, I'm Captain Sharon Raydor. This is Lieutenant Andy Flynn," Sharon said politely. They both sat down across from their suspect.

"Where's Detective Sykes? She mentioned something about some follow up questions," he said nonchalantly, but it felt forced.

"Busy," Sharon answered simply. The man nodded, but stared intently at her. She refused to let the weight of his state affect her this time.

"Luckily, we have the same questions," Andy said sarcastically. "How about we start with where you were last night," Andy tried, but the man never took his eyes off of Sharon. He was glaring at her with, what he could only describe as, a hungry look. Andy didn't like it.

"Hey, Bishop, you gonna answer the question," he pressed.

"I was home all night," he stated simply still staring at Sharon. To her credit, she didn't flinch.

"Anybody who can verify that?" Andy asked with more annoyance in his voice.

"Nope, I live alone," Kevin replied.

"What about last Monday night?" Andy asked, and this time, there was anger seeping in. Why was this freak staring at Sharon?

"Home all night. And yes, I was alone. I'm afraid I live a rather dull life," he said evenly. He could tell that the other man was getting worked up. He kept his focus on the woman.

"You are exquisite, truly," Kevin said suddenly. His features lit up and a huge, sickening smile curved his lips. Andy had had about enough.

"Listen, I'm trying to establish your whereabouts. The least you can do is look me in the damn eye," Andy raised his voice, obviously irritated.

"I'm answering your questions, Lieutenant. I don't know what the problem is," he answered calmly finally looking at Andy.

"My problem? My problem is you," Andy yelled and Sharon could tell he was getting too worked up.

"Lieutenant," she warned him quietly. Kevin turned his attention back to Sharon.

"I hope you don't mind me saying so, Captain, but you are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. I'm sorry, but I'm honestly having a hard time focusing on anything else," he said with a charming smile. That was it for Andy. He had had it. He stood up with such force the chair went flying back towards the door.

"Look, you little freak," Andy spat out while leaning over the table, and he could hear Sharon admonishing him, but he couldn't help it. This cocky bastard had raped and murdered multiple women and thought he was smarter than the detectives investigating his crimes. And now, well, now he was turning his attention on Sharon. "You may think you're smarter than all of us, but I've got your number," he continued. He felt Sharon's hand on his arm, but he was loaded for bear and there was no stopping now. "Furthermore, you're talking about a captain in the LAPD. Show her some damn respect!" He spat out.

"Oh, I plan to," Kevin replied suggestively. Andy went to say something else, but Sharon quickly stepped in.

"Andy!" She said in that strong Darth Raydor tone. "Out," she pointed to the door, and Andy turned toward her incredulously. His face morphed into the question he was too surprised to ask. "That's an order, Lieutenant," Sharon concluded and waited for him to leave. Andy stormed out and closed the door behind him. He paced in the hallway before heading to electronics to keep an eye on the situation.

"He always so protective of you?" Kevin asked with an easy smile.

"The lieutenant?" Sharon asked still shellshocked on the inside by Andy's overreaction. Tensions were high and everyone was frustrated and sleep deprived, but she had expected more from Andy.

"No, your boyfriend," he replied and he studied Sharon's face to gauge her reaction. She was good at schooling her features, but he saw the slightest reaction flicker across them.

"Lieutenant Flynn is just passionate about solving this case," she answered after a moment.

"See, I would think that you're the type of woman who doesn't like being protected by her boyfriend. Especially when your boyfriend is also your subordinate," he added with an empty chuckle. Sharon stared at him with one of her trademark Darth Raydor looks.

"As I said, my _lieutenant_ just wants to solve this case. We all do," Sharon said convincingly.

"As do I, Captain. I hate the thought of a killer stalking women at my favorite coffee shop. I mean, what kind of world are we living in if we can't even get a latte without worrying about some psycho in line behind us?" He asked rhetorically with a smile that gave Sharon the creeps. Too bad you couldn't arrest someone for giving you the creeps, she thought. "If there's nothing else, then I should get back to work," he stated standing up and walking towards the door. As he reached the door knob, he stopped and turned towards her.

"Oh, and if he's just your lieutenant, then he probably shouldn't be spending so much time at your condo late at night," he said with a wink before opening the door and exiting. Sharon's eyes widened with realization and she slowly shook her head.

Meanwhile in electronics, Andy had the same exact thought. He's been following her. The sick bastard who was raping and killing women was following the woman he loved. Now, it was personal.

TBC

* * *

 **Confession: That interrogation scene with Sharon, Andy, and the suspect is the scene that popped into my head, and from which, I built the entire story around. I would love to see Andy slip up like this on the show! We've seen him be protective of Sharon a little bit with Jack, and then when she stuck her neck out for Julio (the infamous "I don't need you for THAT" scene). He also jumped to her defense when Buzz got testy about finding the missing cell phone in frames of media footage in 4.2 "Sorry I Missed You".**


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for the reviews, favorites, follows, and feedback for the previous chapters! Here's the next one.

As always, I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters.

* * *

Chapter Five

That night, Sharon and Rusty packed their bags with clothes and other essentials and drove to Andy's house. They would be staying there until they could finally nail Kevin Bishop. Tao's search had turned up a total of sixteen victims in three states. Some of the cases had a "helpful witness" while others did not. A majority of the women (thirteen) frequented coffee shops, and all of them were raped repeatedly before being strangled and dumped in upscale neighborhood parks. And of course, they all had the trademark red ribbon. Meanwhile, Amy was able to determine that their latest victim, Cynthia Newman, was a patron of Grady's Grounds.

Sharon sat on Andy's couch replaying her interview with Kevin Bishop in her mind. She knew he was their rapist/killer. Knew it with every fiber of her being, but she didn't have the proof. And after Andy's little stunt in the interview room, she was worried that he would leave the area before she had a chance to get the proof she needed. When she had been studying him from electronics, she watched him repeatedly take sips from a water glass Mike had strategically left in the room. They were running the DNA, and she was hoping to have an answer soon. Of course, she needed DNA to compare it to, and so far, he had been meticulous about not leaving any behind in the cases that they had reviewed so far. Taylor had loaned her some members of SIS, so they had a tail on him to ensure he didn't hurt anyone else in the meantime. It was a wait and see game, and Sharon's patience was running thin.

After dinner, Rusty had retreated to one of the guest rooms. Andy cleaned the kitchen while Sharon reviewed the case. When he was finished, he walked over to the couch and sat down tentatively

"I'm sorry, Sharon," he said sincerely. They hadn't spoken much since the incident in the interview room, but Andy knew she was angry about it.

"Andy, I told you before this thing between us started that I don't need you to protect me, and I still don't. Especially now," she said carefully.

"I know. This guy is just bringing out the worst in me. And then he pushed my buttons with you..." he said.

" _Purposely_ pushed your buttons and you let him," she said annoyed.

"I didn't know the freak knew about us. He's been following you, for crying out loud!" He said concerned. Sharon could hear the worry in his voice. She took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"It can never happen again," she stated simply. Andy nodded. He didn't want to think about what would happen if it did.

"I know. And it won't," he assured her. She nodded and let out a sigh. Andy wasn't sure where things stood with them after his screw up, so he was surprised when she suddenly leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to absorb his warmth and bathe in the scent of his aftershave and something that was simply him. She understood why Andy snapped. Everyone was sleep deprived and frustrated, and he was right, this guy was getting to them. All of them. That was why she had decided not to bring Julio in the interview room.

"Do you want to look through this stuff again," Andy asked, voice rumbling through the silence. They had brought a couple of the older case files home and Sharon had already been through them - twice.

"No, I'm too exhausted. I just need some sleep," she replied, and Andy could hear the fatigue in her voice.

"Yeah, me too," he agreed. Sharon sat up and Andy stood up from the couch. He reached a hand out and she gladly took it. He pulled her towards him desperately wanting to connect with her and forget this horrible day. He pulled her close and scanned her face. She turned her focus towards his lips and closed the gap between them. Their lips moved delicately against each others until they both deepened the kiss. Sharon moved her hands behind Andy's neck and tangled them in his hair while his found her hips and pulled her closer. When they parted, Andy asked the question he had been wondering since the decision was made to have Sharon and Rusty stay with him.

"Should I make up the bed in the other guest room?" He asked searching her face.

"No need. It's late and we're both exhausted. I can just share yours. If you don't mind, of course," she said searching his face in return.

"Oh, I uh, definitely don't mind," he replied with a smile. She returned it and took his hand. They turned off the lights and walked to his bedroom together.

Sharon got ready for bed in Andy's bathroom while he changed in his room. When she was done, she joined him in his bed and couldn't help the pang of nervousness that ran through her. She hadn't shared a bed with anyone in a long time. Even though she trusted Andy and knew nothing but sleep was going to happen tonight, the size of this step forward in their relationship was not lost on her. She had chosen a pair of her favorite pajama pants and coordinating v-neck shirt and noticed that Andy was wearing his undershirt and a pair of his own pajama pants. She snuggled into the bed and wrapped the covers around her. She could feel Andy's presence beside her. It felt domestic.

After Andy turned off the light, he moved closer towards her and she rolled over facing him. They stayed like that for a few moments. Andy reached a hand out and gently caressed her face. The moonlight streaming in between the closed blinds provided just enough light so she could see his face and the content expression adorning it. She liked the way he looked in his t-shirt, and she longed to know how the soft fabric felt against his sturdy chest. She instinctively reached her hand out and ran it up and down his chest almost seductively. Andy used both of his arms and scooped her up and brought her closer to him. Much, much closer. Her heart was beating fast, and from the position of her hand wedged between their heated bodies, she could tell that his was as well. The need to feel his lips on hers again was too much. Apparently, Andy thought so, too. The kiss quickly became heated, and when their tongues met and began a tantalizing dance, they both moaned quietly.

Sharon was able to free her arm and began running both of her hands along his arms and across his back. Andy allowed his to caress her sides and linger along the enticing curve of her breasts. He knew they weren't going to move things any further than this, but he didn't mind one bit. He was just enjoying having her in his bed, kissing her passionately, exploring her mouth, and caressing her body. When they decided to break apart and get some sleep, he tucked her into his chest and listened for her breathing to even out as she fell asleep. She was peaceful and content and finally getting the sleep she needed. Unfortunately, Andy was not as lucky. Between the events of the last several days and his concern for Sharon's safety, sleep eluded him.

After making sure Sharon was comfortable, Andy carefully removed his arms from around her and quietly got out of bed. He padded down the hallway to the living room and turned on a light. He sat on his couch and began looking over the case notes Sharon had brought home. At least if he couldn't sleep he could try to be productive.

Outside on an empty, dark street, the man sat in his car watching the house that the captain and her boyfriend foolishly thought was a sanctuary. How could they not realize that he would simply follow her from her condo to this house? He saw a light turn on in what, he had discovered, was the living room. He could tell from the silhouette that it was that testosterone-laced lieutenant. That meant the beautiful captain was all alone.

The man quietly exited his vehicle and crept around to the back of the house where the couple retired for the night earlier. He had done his best to learn the layout of the home earlier in the week when its occupant had been at work. Tonight, he couldn't see much with the blinds closed, but he knew the room was dark. Using a simple glass cutter, he quietly cut through the window pane and unlocked the window lock before repeating the action with the other one.

From the bed, Sharon heard the click of the lock. It woke her from her light slumber, so she stealthily reached for her gun sitting on the nightstand and brought it under the covers with her. She had her back to the window and she pretended to be sound asleep. She would use the element of surprise to her advantage.

Once both locks were undone, the man quietly opened the window and lifted the blinds before climbing into the moderately sized bedroom. He looked over and found the woman he had been desiring and fantasizing about sleeping soundly in her boyfriend's bed. He crept towards her pulling a knife from the back of his pants. He knew a police captain wasn't going to capture easily. Just as he was about to grab ahold of her, she turned towards him and he instinctively swung the knife in her direction.

"You should not have brought a knife to this gun fight," Sharon said calmly. She quickly got up onto her knees and held the gun out and aimed at the face of Kevin Bishop. "Drop it now or I'll show you just how bad of a decision you made," she ordered. He put his hands in the air, but kept the knife in one of them.

"I don't want to hurt you, Captain. Can't you see? I want to love you and treasure you. That's why I left those flowers for you" he said desperately. Sharon felt disgusted, but didn't waver.

"Drop it!" She yelled. Just then members of SIS accompanied by Andy burst into the room from the hallway and surrounded Kevin Bishop. He reluctantly surrendered the knife and Sharon grabbed her cuffs off the nightstand.

"Go ahead, Captain. Do the honors," Lieutenant Cooper said.

"Kevin Bishop, or whatever your name is, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you," she finished while roughly slapping the cuffs on her would-be attacker's hands. As SIS dragged the man out of the bedroom, Andy ran over and pulled her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair.

"It's over, Andy. It's over," Sharon said relieved.

"I'm just glad you're Ok," he said. "I never liked this plan. Using you as bait," he said nuzzling her hair away from her neck. They had predicted that Bishop would follow her wherever she sought safety, so the decision was made to use Andy's house. It was an environment they could control. They just weren't sure how soon he would strike, but everyone was thankful to have the operation behind them and the man behind so much pain and suffering in custody.

"I was never in any danger. SIS had eyes on Bishop and on your house. Plus," she said meeting his eyes. "I had you," she assured him.

"Turns out, you didn't need any of us. I like you all badass," he said flirtatiously before kissing her sweetly.

"Umm, guys," Rusty said appearing in the doorway to the bedroom. They pulled apart and turned to face him. "Everybody's alright, then?" He asked.

"Yeah, everybody is great," Andy said turning to face Sharon. Rusty had been moved to the kitchen and guarded by a couple members of SIS once they had seen Bishop break into the bedroom. Andy had been losing his mind having to wait for SIS's command to go and had almost barged ahead gun loaded.

"Now, we just have to connect Bishop to the rapes and murders," Sharon said with a sigh.

"We will. But for now, let's get some sleep and let the psycho spend the night in jail. I think we'll all sleep better that way," Andy said with a smile.

And they did. For the first time in almost a week, the entire team slept well knowing the man responsible for these heinous crimes was locked up behind bars. They still had to connect him to them, but that was tomorrow's problem.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, etc. this story! I appreciate it all more than you can know. Here is the final chapter of this little saga. I have enjoyed going along on the journey with all of you! As always, I welcome any feedback.

I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them.

* * *

Chapter Six

As it turned out, the next day was just as satisfying as the night before. After pouring through the old cases, Amy finally found one with DNA. CSU was able to make the match and that, combined with the attempted murder of a police officer, was enough to hold their killer. Once the team had finished searching the man's house, they called in CSU to process the basement. It was quite obviously the place where he had kept the women. CSU found traces from both of the LA victims and a huge supply of red ribbons.

It turned out Kevin Bishop was really Michael Smith, and he had been raping and murdering woman for the last five years. Before that, he was in jail serving a lengthy sentence for date raping a girl he had been seeing. He had a thing for beautiful women, and when they didn't return his affections, he took matters into his own hands. The gaps in time between the murders were due to his own pickiness in selecting his victims. All that was left was to interview the man responsible. Sharon stared at him through the monitor in electronics. She knew she should probably let someone else interview him, but she didn't care. The sick bastard had come after her, so now it was her turn to go after him.

Michael Smith sat alone in the cold interview room with a strong sense of deja vu. As he sat and pondered how he managed to screw things up so royally this time, he couldn't help the pang of disappointment he felt realizing that the beautiful captain would never be his. Suddenly, the door opened with a jolt and the woman occupying his thoughts walked in with the other older gentleman in tow. She marched across the room and approached the cold table he was currently restrained behind.

"Mr. Smith, this is Lieutenant Provenza," she stated coldly. He took some satisfaction in knowing that her boyfriend wasn't invited along this time. He watched as she dropped a thick folder onto the table and took a seat. She was completely put together from her full head of perfect hair to her designer shoe-clad feet, but Smith smirked when he noticed that the open buttons on her blouse afforded him a tantalizing view of her cleavage when she bent to sit down.

"You should probably wipe that smirk off your face considering the evidence we have against you," Provenza stated matter-of-factly. Smith's smirk widened, but his eyes never left Sharon.

"It isn't for you, Lieutenant. And if you had lots of evidence I wouldn't be here talking to you or your beautiful captain," he answered while his eyes raked over Sharon. She didn't flinch. He watched as she crossed her arms and his eyes went straight to the view this new position provided.

"We've been all through your house... Including your basement," Provenza stated, but Sharon quietly interrupted him.

"You like coffee, Mr. Smith?" She asked calmly keeping her eyes on him.

"Love it. I'll take a latte if you have one," he said with a charming smile.

"I wasn't offering," Sharon answered coldly. His smile disappeared and she inwardly patted herself on the back for finally wiping that smirk off of his face. "I was only asking since you seem to spend a lot of time in coffee shops," she said with a Darth Raydor glare.

"Well, honestly?" He asked and Sharon nodded. "It isn't just about the coffee. I mean, I do enjoy a good latte or specialty coffee, but coffee shops are... Special," he said with a smirk.

"And why is that?" Sharon asked.

"Because of the people, of course," he replied.

"You like to people watch," she asked, but it was more of a statement.

"Who doesn't! It's amazing to see how people act when they think no one is paying any attention. I have had the absolute pleasure of seeing many small, intimate moments when women didn't know I was watching," he explained with a creepy smile on his face.

"Just women?" Sharon asked playing along.

"Just beautiful women, if we're being completely truthful," he said with a laugh. "Take you, for instance, Captain. You do this thing with your tongue when you don't think anyone is watching. And you lean over in shirts that provide an amazing view. You have no idea what a turn on both of these things are," he said with amusement. Provenza moved to speak, but Sharon quickly silenced him with a gesture. She opened her folder and removed a photo of Smith's first victim and slammed it on the table.

"What about her? What did she do when she thought no one was watching?" Sharon asked with a touch of anger. He looked at the photo, and Sharon saw some of his confidence slip.

"Her? That bitch dragged me to every boring place you could think of, but never wanted to do anything fun. I finally had to take what I was owed. Should have killed her. If I had, I wouldn't be here right now," he spat out. Then, he seemed to collect himself again. "But you already know that. Women like her and like you think that you have all of the power. That you can just dictate everything and we'll just fall in line," he added. Sharon opened the folder and removed the photos of the other victims and began lining them up on the table facing him.

"You mean women like them?" She said with an icy tone. "Did they have all the power, too?" Smith paused and stared at the photos. Suddenly, a sickening smile crossed his features.

"Well, they thought they did. Guess I proved them wrong, huh?" He answered with disgusting cockiness.

"And how did you do that?" Sharon asked leaning forward. He paused a moment before answering her.

"You've seen the photos. My work speaks for itself," he answered simply. Sharon allowed her own smirk to cross her features before turning and looking at Provenza. They both nodded as they started to stand up. "I tried to do things right with you, Captain," he called out. Sharon and Provenza turned and began walking towards the door. She stopped when she heard his next statement.

"I even left you flowers. But it wasn't enough. Never is with women like you. That's why I had to show you who really has the power," he said coldly, and Sharon turned around to face him.

"Yes, you did," she said with a nod. "Which is why you're in handcuffs and I'm the one who put you there," she stated before turning and walking out. Once she was safely outside the closed door, she heard him yell out in anger and she smiled to herself.

* * *

The team was happy to finally close the case, and the other jurisdictions were excited to be able to do the same. Many of them wanted their swing at Smith as well, so the legal battles would continue for years to come. Other cases filled the team's days in the weeks that followed, but nobody forgot about the victims of, what the media dubbed, the "Red Ribbon Killer".

The case got Sharon thinking about some of the decisions in her life. Two weeks after they caught the killer, she put her condo on the market. It sold a month later, and now she and Rusty were packing up the last of their stuff before moving it to their new home. Home: The word brought a smile to Sharon's face. She couldn't wait to unpack her things at the bungalow she would now be calling home.

As they parked in the driveway, Sharon and Rusty got out of their overloaded cars and walked together towards their new front door. Before they could reach it, Andy stepped out and greeted them.

"How can you possibly have more stuff?" He asked with a smile.

"Are you complaining?" She asked with her own smile.

"No, never," he said pulling her into his arms.

"Ahh, so yeah, I'm gonna go start unloading the car and hope that you two have moved this somewhere else. Hopefully, some place I will never occupy," Rusty said before turning back towards the car. Andy laughed softly and Sharon rolled her eyes playfully.

"He'll get used to it," Sharon said running her hands up his chest.

"Guess he'll have to since we're all going to be under the same roof," he said sweetly before giving her a quick peck on the lips. Rusty chose that exact moment to walk by with his arms full of stuff.

"Seriously? I know this is Andy's house, but we're going to have to establish some ground rules," he announced walking by.

"Don't worry, Kid. We'll keep it to a minimum. And this is _all_ of our house now," he said turning to face Rusty. Rusty turned around with his arms still full and met Andy's gaze. He nodded slightly and turned back toward the house. He allowed a content smile to cross his face, but he wasn't going to let Andy know just yet how much that meant. Once Rusty had disappeared into the house, Andy turned back towards Sharon and captured her lips in a proper kiss this time.

"I'm really glad you're here," he said quietly breaking the kiss before they got too carried away.

"Hmmm... And my stuff, too?" She asked with a smile.

"And your stuff, too. And any redecorating I know you're bound to do. We'll make it work," he promised.

"I love you," she cooed. And she realized that the happy bubbly feeling inside her was more than love. It was contentment. After seeing the worst of human nature on a daily basis and facing down a depraved serial rapist/killer, Sharon felt content and happy with the decisions she had recently made in her personal life.

"I love you, too. And as much as I don't want to admit it, I really don't mind your stuff. And I know I'm gonna love seeing it mixed in with mine," he said before capturing her lips again briefly. "Especially that damn sexy satin robe of yours," he said in a gravely tone before kissing her passionately. When they broke apart, she studied his face.

"You've been thinking about that since that night you brought dinner over to my place, haven't you?" She asked with a smile.

"Damn right!" He answered before capturing her lips in a brief kiss. When they pulled apart, he took her hand and they headed to her car to start unloading the last of her things that would soon be _their_ things.

They were combining their stuff, but more than that, they were bringing together their lives and neither wanted it any other way.

THE END


End file.
